Labor Department says 14 Lawrence businesses owe workers back wages

Restaurants, hotels found in violation of Fair Labor Standards Act

Fourteen restaurants and hotels in the Lawrence, Kansas, area owe back wages to 130 employers and are in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act’s overtime, minimum wage, child labor and record-keeping provisions, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

Fourteen restaurants and hotels in the Lawrence, Kansas, area owe back wages to 130 employers and are in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act’s overtime, minimum wage, child labor and record-keeping provisions, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

“For these low-wage employees, being shorted in your paycheck can mean the difference between being able to feed your family or not,” said Karen Chaikin, regional administrator for the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division.

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The businesses found in violation and amounts paid or due include:

El Potro Mexican Café $2,244 to 2 employees

Marisco’s Restaurant $818 to 9 employees

La Parrilla Latin American Cuisine $8,060 to 7 employees

Genovese Italian Restaurant $1,290 to 4 employees

Ten Restaurant (in the Eldridge Hotel) $540 to 13 employees

Paisano’s Ristorante’ $104 to 2 employees

Tres Mexicanos Mexican Grill & Cantina $11,364 to 3 employees

King Buffet $69,008 to 10 employees

Henry T’s Bar & Grill $4,815 to 48 employees

Mad Greek $260 to 10 employees

Zen Zero, Inc. $12,033 to 6 employees

El Sol Mexican Restaurant $101.80 to 3 employees

The Bird Dog Bar (unavailable)

Investigators said the Lawrence businesses owe a combined $112,191 in back wages.

The violations for the 14 businesses include failing to pay for all the hours that employees work, requiring servers to work only for tips and not listing them on the payroll as employees, not combining hours worked at multiple job sites in order to avoid paying overtime and failing to keep accurate records of employee wages and hours.

“Just because a pay practice appears to be an industry or local standard doesn’t mean that it’s legal,” said Ricky Robinson, acting director for the Wage and Hour Division’s district office in Kansas City.

Nicole Callaway, a former store manager, said she's not surprised that businesses have run into these types of problems.

"Because it's cash. They're getting cash tips. They're getting cash payments. Then employers say, 'Well, this is your payment so I don't have to give you an actual wage,' which is not legal," she said.

The Labor Department said the violations were discovered during an education and enforcement initiative that began in Midwest college towns in 2014. It said many hospitality industry jobs are filled by students, foreign workers and temporary workers who are often new to the workforce and unfamiliar with wage laws and their rights.

"We are committed to ensuring that workers take home every cent they have rightfully earned, and to providing a level playing field for employers who play by the rules,” Chaikin said.

The businesses are not being fined. The Labor Department said it's more concerned about getting the workers the money they deserve.